Children's Services Blog

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Today, let's head over to Lake Merritt and meet Miriam Medow, the children's librarian at the Lakeview Branch Library.

Miriam, what brought you to the Lakeview Library?

I was drawn to the Lakeview branch because of its awesome location in the vibrant and beautiful Grand Lake neighborhood. As you could guess from the branch name, we can see Lake Merritt from our front door!

Give us an example of what a day at work looks like for you.

On the very best days, my work involves singing and dancing and sharing books with kiddos. Each day also includes a lot of asking, "how can I help you?" Last week, I found myself ordering Lego pieces off eBay -- it's fair to say that no days here are identical. But it's typically a satisfying balance of face-to-face, experiential work (leading programs, staffing the reference desk) with computer work and other tasks (placing book orders, sending emails).

What is your favorite thing about the Lakeview Library?

Storytime! Every Wednesday morning, we ROCK OUT at Toddler Time and Baby Bounce. Saturday's Family Storytime is a party, too. Storytimes here are super interactive, joyful, and a little bit wild -- they're definitely the highlight of my week.

Where is your favorite place to visit in Oakland?

Ooooh, how about the Fox Theater, for an amazing show? There are so many places I love in Oakland, it's hard to choose just one! My favorite is taking my little dog out walking in Oakland neighborhoods and finding what there is to discover block by block. Especially when there are trumpet flowers blooming :)

Have you discovered the children’s magazine section of your local library?

Magazines are current, browsable, fun -- and OPL has a huge selection of them available to check-out for three weeks at a time. From American Girl to Zoobooks, magazines cover a broad range of topics for all ages. There’s pleasure reading to be found for everyone here!

Playing is fun! It is also a necessary part of your child's early experience. In fact, while they play they are busy learning that spoken and written words can stand for real objects and experiences. It also helps them express themselves and put thoughts and emotions into words. They can use puppets, stuffed animals, really anything they can find around the house to use for props and develop their imagination.

"Every Child Ready to Read® @ your library® is a program of the Association for Library Service to Children and Public Library Association, divisions of the American Library Association. Every Child Ready to Read® @ your library® is a registered trademark and is used with permission."

E.L. Konigsburg was one of my favorite authors when I was a kid. I never wrote her a fan letter though...at least, not until I was an adult. Five years ago, I served on the Newbery Committee to select that year's winner (this one!). It meant that for one year I had to read for hours every day, and I didn't get to choose my reading. I had to read A LOT of books I didn't like. When we finally finished, and I came home, I took a day off to do nothing but read exactly what I wanted. I chose From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I read it all through the day, and through dinner, and way past my bedtime, and finished it around midnight. And THEN, I stayed up another hour to write E.L. Konigsburg the fan letter I never wrote her as a kid. I'm so glad I did. (And she wrote me back.)

Who is your favorite author? Have you ever written them a fan letter? Do it today! If they don't have a website with contact information, you can send an old-fashioned letter to them at the address for their publisher, and their publisher will forward it to them.

When kids have questions, the books of David Macaulay are a solid place to start seeking answers. Macaulay’s nonfiction explores the art, design, and mechanics of buildings, technology, the human body, and more. His books are heavily illustrated and visually engaging, with clear writing that respects the interests and abilities of children. Come to the library to browse his fascinating work for yourself!

Celebrate children and books with bilingual magician Germar the Magician! In this fun show, Germar delights children and invites them to participate. If you miss him at your local branch, you can catch him at another!

Refreshments will be served at many locations (check your local branch), and each child will leave with a new book!

It's National Library Week! Last week you got a sneak peek at preparations for the origami installation at the Main Library. It went up on Saturday, and now the Oak street face of the library (with the entrance to the Children's Room) reminds you of just one of the many fun things you can do inside or outside your library. A group of preschoolers are checking it out...arriving for Monday morning storytime. Come see it for yourself...but don't wait! The installation will stay up through Saturday April 20th.

The library circulates poetry books all year long, but April, National Poetry Month, is their time to shine. Whether you’re looking for a traditional poem in picture book form to share with preschoolers, or a collection of silly rhymes for older kids, the library has you covered! Make a visit to the nonfiction section of your local branch – especially the 811.54s – to discover these and other wonderful poetry books for children:

All the World / written by Liz Garton Scanlon; illustrated by Marla Frazee

Children at libraries throughout Oakland have been busily folding pieces of paper. Why, you may wonder? Well, National Library Week is coming and, as part of the celebration, on April 13th the Main Library's Children’s Room staff will be mounting an origami installation on the outside of the library’s Oak Street entrance. The colorful installation, using more than a thousand origami pieces of varying shapes and sizes, will be attached to the wall so that all can see that Oakland’s kids love to “READ.” The installation was inspired by the street art posted on the Asian Museum in San Francisco this past August. The group Upside Up used 550 origami butterflies to write the word “fly” on one of the museum’s exterior walls. Our installation will remain up for a week. Come on down and check it out along with some great books.